A varve is a geological layer of sediment, an archive of climatic change, similar to the rings of a tree. Like core samples taken from this incredible memory of nature, the individual pieces on this album are drawn from a larger, continuous whole.

They focus on the tiniest irregularities – subtle signals that speak of something vast – but they attend as well to delicate shifts capable of unleashing powerful change. The compositions explore decay and renewal and spatial and temporal connections whose dimensions lie beyond our comprehension.

Musically speaking, an ensemble of tape machines and cassette recorders provides the accompaniment for the cello. Organ tones, vocal samples, and the hiss of the devices interweave to build delicate structures that seem to repeat, yet reveal themselves as never quite the same. The cello moves through this sonic fabric – at times tentative, at others resolute, always in search of resonance in a world in flux.

For nearly twenty years, Lukas Lauermann has been collaborating with some of the most influential artists in the Austrian music scene and composing music for theatre and film. In his solo project, he expands the cello’s sonic range using effect pedals, samplers, and tapes, continually exploring the instrument’s expressive possibilities. With both emotional and intellectual depth, he engages with socially relevant issues of our time.